(1935 to 1938) Kelvin Keech served as the announcer for the "Popeye the Sailor" radio show. Popeye was adapted to radio in several series broadcast over three different networks by two sponsors from 1935 to 1938, initially by NBC and boosted terrifically by following the still wildly popular Amos n' Andy program. Popeye and most of the major supporting characters were first featured in a thrice-weekly 15-minute radio program, Popeye the Sailor, which starred a Broadway actor,
Detmar Poppen as Popeye along with most of the major supporting characters-Olive Oyl (Olive Lamoy), Wimpy (Charles Lawrence), Bluto (
Jackson Beck) and Swee'Pea (
Mae Questel). In the first episode, Popeye adopted Sonny (Jimmy Donnelly), a character later known as Matey the Newsboy, as more or less a substitute for Swee'Pea, as largely silent characters served little purpose on radio. This program was broadcast Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday nights at 7:15 pm. September 10, 1935 through March 28, 1936 on the NBC Red Network (87 episodes), initially sponsored by Wheatena, a whole-wheat breakfast cereal, which would routinely replace the spinach references. Music was provided by Victor Irwin's Cartoonland Band (a live band was considered highly unusual for a 15-minute radio show targeting children). Announcer
Kelvin Keech sang (to composer Lerner's "Popeye" theme) "Wheatena is his diet / He asks you to try it / With Popeye the sailor man." Wheatena paid King Features Syndicate $1,200 per week for the character rights for radio, which in addition to the show's production overhead likely ran near $5000 per week. Detmar Poppen's characterization of Popeye drew considerable criticism when compared to the well-known cartoon version and he was replaced when the show left NBC in 1936 by
Floyd Buckley, a former silent movie actor. The show was next broadcast Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7:15 - 7:30 pm on WABC, and ran from August 31, 1936 to February 26, 1937 (78 episodes). Miriam Wolfe portrayed both Olive Oyl and the Sea Hag. Once again, reference to spinach was conspicuously absent. Now Popeye would sing, "Wheatena's me diet / I ax ya to try it / I'm Popeye the Sailor Man". The third series was sponsored by the maker of Popsicle three nights a week for 15 minutes at 6:15 pm on CBS from May 2, 1938 through July 29, 1938. Of the three series, only 20 of the 204 episodes are still known to exist.
